Seal



' ing a sealing Patented June 19, 192

:eUssELL s. Jones, on CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SEAL. I 3

Application filed July 20, 1921. Serial No. 486,095.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, RUssnLL S. JONES, citizen of the United States,residing'at Chicago, in the county of Cook and Stateof Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Seals, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, concise, and exact description.

My invention relates to seals that employ loops and sealing blocks fortightly assembling the ends of the loops in a manner to preventundetectable breakage or mutilation of the loops or' the sealing blocks.

In practicing one feature of my invention, at least one end andpreferably each end of the loop member of a seal is forked and thesealing block is formed with passages through which the fork sides pass,the mate rial of the sealing block extending into the spaces between theends of the loop member and the fork sides thereof. This constructionenables me to employ loop members in the form of broad ribbons, thesealing blocks being capable of assembly with ends of the loop member'swithout being weakened by the ribbon receiving passages in the sealingblock, the width of these passages being reduced to correspond with thewidth of the fork sides instead of corresponding to the whole width ofthe ribbon member.

The invention also provides means to guard against undetectableseverance of the loop at the block, and in carrying out this feature ofmy invention I bulge or otherwise mark both sides of the loop memberbetween their longitudinal edges and near the inner end of and upon theexterior of the sealing block. If the loop is severed adjacent the blockand retucked into the block, such mark will become at least partiallyconcealed by the block to furnish evidence of tampering.

I will explain my invention more fully by reference to the accompanyingdrawing in which Fig. 1 is a perspective view showblock which ispreferably in permanent assembly with one end of the sealing loop, theother end of the sealing loop being shown, in this figure, inunassembled relation with the block; Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1excepting that the end of the loop that is not assembled with the blockas illustrated in Fig. 1 is so assembled as illustrated in Fig. 2; Fig.3 illustrates the sealing block and the forked ends of the loop clampedto prevent the separation of the loop and block; Fig. 4 is a sectionalview on line le-4: of Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 1s a sectional view on line 5'5of Fig. 3.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughoutthe different figures.

The sealing loop 1 is preferably a thin ribbon of metal. The sealingblock 2 is preferably formed of lead. Both ends of the loop member arepreferably forked, the sides 3 and 4 of one forked end and the sides 5and 6 of the other forked end being preferably straight and spacedconsiderable distances apart by the fork gaps 7 and 8. The sealing block2 is preferably cast about the fork sides 3 and 4: and is formed withlongitudinal passages 9 and 10 to receive the sides 5 and 6 of the otherforked endof the loop member. The material of the sealing block extendsinto the spaces between the ends of the loop member and between thesides of each of the forked ends of the loop member. If the passageswere as wide as theribbon the block could be more easily spread apart toenable a tamperer to cut the ribbon within the area of the block andthereafter collapse the block to'guard against detection of mutilation.By forking the ends of the ribbon and providing a separate passage foreach fork side the width of each passage is so far reduced that theblock cannot be so readily spread apart thereat.

I prefer, however, to provide means for preventing the undetectableseverance of the ribbon at the block. In practicing this feature of myinvention the sides of the loop member are marked between their longitudinal edges and near the inner end of and upon the exterior of thesealing block. This marking is preferably in the form of bulges 11 whichterminate at the shoulders 12. If either side of the loop is severedatthe base of its forked end and is retucked into the block the adjacentmarking 11 will also enter the block to 'be atleast partially concealed,thereby affording evidence of the tampering.

After the free end. of the loop has been tucked into the block asillustrated in Figs. 2 and 4C the-block and the ends of the loop thereinare crimped, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 5, to guard against thewithdrawal of either loop end of the block.

It will be observed that both ends of the loop member project beyond theblock when the seal has been applied, the extent to which these endsproject being; detined by the abutting engagement of the loop ends withthe block. It is preferable to have both ends of the loop projectthrough the block to the same extent but the invention is not to be thuslimited. By having the loop ends project beyond the block predetermineddistances defined by the abutting engagement of the loop ends with theblock the inspector of the seal may determine whether or not the sealhas been properly applied, for it the loop ends do not project theirpredetermined distances the inspector will know that the seal has eithernot been properly applied or has been tampered with.

While I have'herein shown and particularly described the preferredembodiment of my invention I do not wish to be limited to. the precisedetails of construction shown as changes may readily be made withoutdeparting from the spirit of my invention, but having thus described myinvention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent thefollowing:

1. In seal, the combination with a loop member which is forked at eachend; of a sealing block carried upon. one forked end of the loop memberand formed with two passages through which the two sides of the otherforked end pass, the material of the sealing block extending into thespaces between the ends of the loop member and be tween the sides ofeach of said forked ends.

2. In a seal, the combination with a loop member which has a forked end;of a sealing block formed with two passages through which the two sidesof said forked end the material of the sealing block extending into thespaces between the ends of the loop naeasse member and between the sidesof said forked end.

3. In a seal, the combination with a loop member which is forked at eachend; of a sealing block carried upon one forked end of the loop memberand formed with two passages through which the two sides of the otherforked end pass, the material of the sealing block extending into thespaces between the ends of the loop member and be tween the sides ofeach of said forked ends, said loop member being marked near and belowthe base of each forked end.

In a seal, the combination with a loop member which has a forked end; ofa sealing block formed with two passages through which the two sides ofsaid forked end pass, the material of the sealing block extending intothe spaces between the ends of the loop member and between the sides ofsaid forked end, said loop member being marked near and below the baseof said forked end.

5. In a seai, the combination with a loop member; of a sealing blocksurrounding both ends of the loop member which have shoulders that abutthe inner end of the block and both of whose sides are marked betweentheir longitudinal edges and near the inner end of and upon the exteriorof said block.

6. In a seal, the combination with a loop membe of a sealing blockfixedly carried upon one end of the loop that projects through andbeyond the block, the other end of. the loop member having abuttingengagement with the block and also projecting through and beyond theblock.

In. witness whereof I hereunto subscribe my name this 1 1th day of July,A. D. 1921.

RUSSELL S. JONES.

